


A Little Something Extra

by GremlinSR



Series: A Holmes in Konoha [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Ensui Continues to be Awesome, Family Fluff, Gen, Kakashi Pulls it Together, Kid Fic, M/M, Natural Disasters, Original Character Death(s), sad stuff happens
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-09
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-24 14:58:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15633030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GremlinSR/pseuds/GremlinSR
Summary: While on a search and rescue mission, Kakashi is once again faced with the reality that he can't save everybody, no matter how much he wishes he could. But maybe he can still be a hero to those who are left behind - and give Ensui something that he's wanted for a long time while he's at it.Or: The story of how Kakashi left for a mission, faced his biggest fears, and came back with a little something extra.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those tags are real, guys. Like, I teared up every time I edited this chapter. Fair warning (I could just be a sensitive flower though).
> 
> Also, if you just happened to stumble upon this and have never read my stuff before - this is part of the [Holmes in Konoha](https://archiveofourown.org/series/895512) series, and some things might be confusing if you don't read parts 1-3 first. :)

Search and rescue missions were never fun. Too often they were stressful, heartbreaking affairs, especially when they were being done on the scale that the Allied Forces were facing. Hundreds dead, even more injured, and they were running out of time to find the missing.

“Hey, boss, we have something three miles southwest,” Pakkun’s tired voice called from where he’d just come to a stop at Kakashi's feet. “I think they got stuck in a cave when the hurricane hit. We need some Earth users.”

Kakashi turned and made a few hand signs to the woman coordinating the efforts, a lieutenant in the Allied Forces name Ichika. She was standing on a large boulder in the middle of the wet, muddy remains of what had once been a small tea field. A moment later two dirty, exhausted men in the Allied Forces uniform appeared before them.

Everybody was used to the drill, so they just bowed to Pakkun and all three of them took off. Kakashi didn’t even have time to hope they got the people out alive before Ichika was motioning him over. Despite having only slept for ten minutes here or there for the past thirty hours, he didn’t falter.

“Lieutenant.” 

“Hatake-san. I just got a missive from General Nanako. Some locals down the coast are worried about a pregnant woman and her child who never checked in after the hurricane went through. This has been deemed high priority, so I’m sending you and Neji-san after them. As soon as he returns from his current task I’ll need you to leave.”

Her expression was carefully blank, but he had worked with her enough to recognize that she was concerned about his lack of sleep. He resisted the urge to snort - he’d been through a lot worse and probably would be again. There was a reason he was the backup if Itachi died before Naruto was old enough to take the hat - he could take a lot more than this before he collapsed. A possibility that wouldn’t be hanging over his head for much longer, thank god. Naruto turned twenty-five in less than a year.

Kakashi accepted the piece of paper with a bow. “Neji and I will do our best, lieutenant. I’ll leave my pack with your forces and summon Pakkun if I need one of them.”

“Thank you, Hatake-san. We will take good care of your summons.” 

He headed for the large tent that had been hastily erected as a headquarters of sorts for the relief effort. He probably had time to eat and maybe even sit down before Neji got back. The hurricane had hit the endmost section of Tea and the islands around it hard. The Allied Forces had mobilized quickly and then requested additional aide from all the ninja villages.

Itachi had sent Kakashi, Kiba, and Neji specifically to assist in finding survivors, along with three genin teams and their senseis and a whole sleuth of medics to help with clean up and medical care. Kiba and Akamaru had been sent to one of the islands to help look for survivors there, so he didn't bother looking for him. He could see hitai-ate from all of the villages around him, though Cloud had only shown up that morning since they had to travel much further.

The proof that ninja could be more than assassins and mercenaries made something in him thaw just a little more, something that had hardened within him while he fought in wars as a child and later in ANBU. He hadn’t expected to ever feel so much hope, but he was glad to have been proven wrong.

He stretched his back until it popped and idly realized that it was Shikari’s second birthday the next day. He sighed and picked up a tray and wondered whether she missed her Uncle Kashi. The thought made his lips curve up under the mask. That girl was adorable, there was no doubt.

He brought his tray over to an empty spot next to a large woman with a sword strapped to her back wearing a Kiri hitai-ate. Across from them were two nin from Grass. He nodded at them with a mumbled “Yo,” and they returned his greeting with the same amount of exhaustion.

He’d only gotten halfway through his meal when Neji appeared next to him, somehow free of mud save for a few spatters on the bottom of his robes. “Kakashi-sensei. Lieutenant Ichika said there is a priority mission for us.”

Kakashi nodded sharply and stood. “Grab something you can eat on the run.”

Neji didn’t argue or bug him for details before turning to weave his way through the crowd towards a basket of bread with meats laid out next to it. This is why he loved working with Neji. How the boy turned out so calm and rational after training under Gai for two years, he would never know. Maybe he and Tenten made some sort of sanity pact.

They set a steady pace along the coast. The town that had sent out the S.O.S was a little less than half a day’s run for shinobi of their caliber, and since they had set out just as the sun was setting they arrived when it was still dark. The town itself was gone - wiped out by the flooding and gale-force winds. According to the mayor of the town, who had written the missive requesting help, the missing woman was their midwife and lived about half a mile up a ridge to the east.

Her husband had died six months earlier and it was just her and her young son living there. She was also nine months pregnant, which could account for why they hadn’t made it to town. They ran across the top of the water, leaping over the roofs that were sticking out of it like misshapen, broken islands.

It figured he would be sent on a mission to find a pregnant woman - he was surrounded by them at home. It seemed like every female member of Mayu’s graduating class plus some were expecting. Hinata and Shisui were expecting their first in about two months, which had Mayu running around making noises about cribs and showers and godmothering.

Ino and Sakura were both about three months along and kept devolving into giggles over the thought of their kids possibly ending up with the same birthday. Sai and Junto both watched them with horrified fascination and Kakashi always applauded himself for attaching himself to a man when he was in the same room with the four of them. There had been drama that not even Kakashi and Ensui could avoid when Chouji’s wife, Karui, announced her pregnancy a month after Ino did.

The pressure on Mayu to produce the third member of the next Ino-Shika-Cho had been intense and she’d dug in her heels in true Mayu fashion. Her reasons for refusing to get pregnant at the moment were, in Kakashi's opinion, completely valid, but it wasn’t like she even needed to _have_ a reason outside of ‘I don’t want to.’

They were short an investigator in the field due to Hinata’s pregnancy and as the Head of the Department Mayu was filling in. She was running a few international task forces for the Allied Forces focused on organized crime that had her traveling more than she usually would. She wanted to wait until Shikari was older to dump a sibling on her.

None of her perfectly reasonable answers had gotten the clan elders from all three of the clans to back off, though. So she’d stopped trying to be reasonable and now people were making noises about her and Shikamaru’s ‘fitness’ to lead the clan.

Both of them seemed more relieved than upset at the thought of getting passed over for it. The elders were frustrated that their threats had the opposite of their intended effects. Mostly because Shikamaru was the best option for the next-in-line, and not just because of who his father was. 

The rest of the Nara clan was watching the drama unfold in horrified fascination, but the general consensus was that the elders were taking things too far. Nara women were not okay with being told when and where to make babies and Nara men knew better than to cross their wives, sisters, and mothers. The older generation grumbled a bit about Mayu’s liberal, working-mother ways and that, along with a hesitance to mess with a rock-solid tri-clan alliance, was enough to keep the debate going, for now.

Suffice it to say, Kakashi had been enjoying his pregnancy-free existence while on this mission. Of course, he was a product of Team Seven, which meant if he didn’t want something to happen, it was probably going to happen. He stopped at the bottom of what used to be the path up the ridge and frowned.

It looked like half the hillside had given way into a mess of mud and splintered trees and rocks. He exchanged a look with Neji. “The report didn’t say how far from the ridge their house was located,” Kakashi finally said.

Neji shook his head, once, and activated his Byakugan. After a moment of concentration, he froze. “I see them. I think they’re trapped inside the house, which is too close to the edge of where the ground fell away. A small child, and, yes...a pregnant woman.” His brow furrowed. “Something’s wrong with the woman, though. We need to hurry.”

Kakashi sighed and studied the side of the hill. It looked ready to collapse. “Of course we do. Alright, let’s move carefully. We should probably tie ourselves together just in case we get caught in another slide.”

They took a moment to attach themselves with ninja wire and then Kakashi began to carefully make his way up the slippery, unstable slope. Twice they had to leap away when the ground gave beneath them. It took them a long time to get to the top and when they did, Kakashi couldn’t help his small groan.

In the predawn light, he could see that the house had been carried forward and half-covered by the mudslide. One corner was caved in completely and a pile of debris and mud had gushed inside. It was precariously balanced right on the edge of the ridge, the front door and only escape route jutting out into nothing, making it impossible for any civilians trapped inside to get out.

“I think the woman is injured,” Neji said. “And the baby she’s carrying doesn’t seem to be in the right position.”

Kakashi gave one short nod. Over the smell of mud and water he could just make out a hint of blood and he could hear the soft murmur of voices. He strained to pick up what they were saying.

“...it’s okay, momma, just breathe like this, like you’re always telling the women you help,” a young, wobbling voice said, followed by deep breaths that kept hitching on sobs.

“Oh, darling, you’re such a sweet boy. Always such a big help when I’m w-working.” The woman’s voice was soft and strained and kept hitching on her words. “You’re going to make such a good big brother. I’m so proud of you.”

“Momma, what are you doing?”

“I need you to get my kit, sweetheart, can you do that? You sister is having some trouble coming out on her own, we need to help her, alright?”

Kakashi turned to Neji. “She’s in labor, but you were right - something’s wrong. We need to get them out, now.”

Neji eyed the house. “It looks like it’s going to fall right over the edge if we so much as breathe on it.”

“Then we’ll just have to be careful. I’ll go through that window and hand the kid through to you first, then follow with the mother.”

Neji nodded once. Kakashi took a deep breath and lifted his hitai-ate. His Sharingan would be useful in avoiding the more unstable areas. Then he took off into a run, leaping over spots that didn’t look like they would hold him. Ten feet from the house he launched himself forward, head-first. He soared through the window, open eyes giving him warning so that he was able to avoid the worst of the broken boards and other debris when he rolled across the floor and came to his feet.

In the far corner of the room were a woman and a small boy. The woman was laying on the floor and was probably quite beautiful when her features weren’t twisted in pain and she wasn’t covered in blood, sweat, and grime. The boy was about five and he was kneeling next to her, holding her hand. They were both staring at him with wide, identical eyes.

“Yo,” he said with a small wave, relaxing when the whole house didn’t start sliding off the side of the mountain.

The woman’s gaze went to his hitai-ate and she relaxed. “Rescue team?”

“That’s right. I’m Hatake Kakashi, and my partner is outside. I’m going to come over there, alright?”

The boy’s face lit up. “You’re the copy-nin? You’re here to save us?”

Kakashi gave his best eye-smile, though his heart was sinking as he took in the pool of blood the woman was lying in and the way the bone was sticking out the side of her thigh. The resigned look she gave him spoke volumes. She knew it was bad. Her stomach was huge under the material of her dirty shirt and before Kakashi could answer he saw it ripple and she tensed.

Tears fell from the corners of her eyes and she opened her mouth in a silent scream. Kakashi knelt on her other side and let her take his hand while the contraction worked its way through her. He wasn’t a medic, but he could tell that it wasn’t a normal one, especially when the puddle of blood under her expanded.

“Kakashi-sensei?” Neji called.

He cleared his throat and wrenched his gaze from the wide, fear-filled gaze of the child across from him. “I’m here! The woman is in labor and has a broken leg. I’m going to hand the boy through and then we’ll figure out how to get her out. Just give me a moment to splint the break.”

No way was she going through the small window as she was. Damn. The boy’s eyes widened. “No! I’m not leaving my mother!”

Despite the fact that she was gasping for air and obviously in an enormous amount of pain, she plastered a small smile on her face and turned towards him. “Aito, baby, I need you to listen to the nice shinobi, can you do that for me? He’ll get you out, and then he’ll be able to get me and your sister out, too.”

His lip wobbled. “But, mama...I got your kit for you, see?” He pointed to the black bag lying next to him. “I can help.”

“I know, sweetheart, you’re such a big boy, my big helper. Just - I need you to help by listening to Hatake-san, okay? Then when we’re all out, you can help bring her into the world.”

While they were speaking Kakashi was wrapping her leg as best as he could in the short amount of time they had. He used some of the splintered wood from the caved in walls to create a temporary splint, wincing when the woman gasped.

Aito stared at her before nodding slowly, once. He turned to Kakashi, who was actually impressed that such a tiny, strawberry-blonde imp managed to look so fierce. “You promise you’ll get her out?”

Kakashi knew better than to make promises like that, but he still found himself nodding. “I do,” he said solemnly.

“Okay.” Aito bit his lip, then leaned down and gently hugged his mother. “I’ll see you soon, okay?”

“Okay, baby. I love you.”

Kakashi picked up Aito and made his way across the small one-room house with careful steps. “Neji! I’ve got the boy. I’m going to toss him out to you!”

“What?” the woman’s faint voice said, but he just waited for Neji’s confirmation before looking down at Aito, who looked more interested than afraid at the thought of being tossed out a window. Kakashi was fairly certain that if he added weight to that side of the house it would be too much and they’d all go over the edge. So, throwing it was.

“I need you to roll up into a ball and put your hands over your head. You stay like that until my friend Neji tells you it’s okay to stop, got it?”

Aito nodded once, solemn, the mud and blood and tear tracks on his face making him look small and vulnerable. Ignoring the urge to pull him against his chest and shield him from harm, Kakashi waited for him to curl into a ball. Then he took a deep breath, called out a warning to Neji, and spun in place once, using his momentum to whip Aito out the window with enough force that Neji could catch him well away from the danger zone.

He watched, heart in his throat, as Aito kept his form despite his small squeak of terror. Then Neji was there, catching him lightly in his arms. Kakashi had barely released his breath of relief when the house let out a low, ominous groan and shifted forward a few inches. He froze in place, but it settled after the initial slide instead of careening down the mountain.

A scream of pain from the woman still sprawled on the floor pulled his attention and he moved back to her side quickly but carefully. Her light hair was plastered against her face, and she was crying freely now that her son couldn’t see her. After a moment of hesitation, Kakashi took her hand. She gripped it in her own and turned desperate eyes towards him.

“She - she’s breached,” the woman admitted. “You need to perform an emergency cesarean. I was going to try and do it m-myself, but now that you’re here you can do it.”

Kakashi’s eyes widened and he let go of her hand. “I’m not a medic. My partner has some training, but just enough for general trauma wounds, not...”

He shook his head and she took a shallow breath. “It’ll be okay, Hatake-san. If we don’t do something soon, my baby will die, and I’ll go with her. Please, I’ve heard stories of how brave and strong you are. Please do this for me.” She smiled up at him and he wondered how it was that she ended up trying to comfort him. He’d barely met her ten minutes ago, but he could already respect her strength and her obvious love for her children.

“Let’s get you out of here and then -” a groan followed by the splintering of wood cut him off and then the whole house tilted forward and began to move.

Kakashi didn’t stop to think. He just scooped up the woman and her bag in one arm, gritting his teeth against her scream of pain, and turned towards the back of the house. He fed chakra into his feet to keep them from sliding backward on wood made slick by water and blood and started to run.

The angle intensified, the house tilting until it was almost parallel to the ground, and the slide began picking up speed. The woman wrapped an arm around his neck and stopped screaming, though a glance showed her eyes were wide with fear. Her other arm went around her stomach, and despite how much it probably hurt to do so with a broken leg, she curled herself around the bump. Kakashi sped up and just before they would have hit the back wall of the house he did a few one-handed hand signs and let loose a dozen scythes of wind.

The back of the house exploded in a shower of dirt and wood and Kakashi and his passenger jumped out of the back of it just as the structure finished falling over the side of the ridge. He was too busy trying to find steady footing to watch as it tumbled the fifty feet down the side of the hill, but he could hear it crashing and splintering below them.

Kakashi brought his other arm up to support the woman as he scrambled across the ground, which kept falling and sliding out from beneath his feet. Each time he leaped forward, they’d be carried back down the hill by the sliding mud. The woman starting gasping and thrashing in his arms and he could feel the warm, thick drip of her blood down his side.

Finally, the ninja wire he still had attached to him tightened and pulled and he was able to start scrambling his way up to the incline and over. Neji was there, bracing himself and pulling on the wire, and Aito was standing about twenty feet back where the ground was firm, watching with wide eyes.

Between the two of them, they eventually made it to dry land. Kakashi was breathing hard, but he ignored his body’s exhaustion and lowered the woman, whose name he still didn’t know, to the ground. Her skin was paler than it had been and her breathing was ragged, but she was still conscious.

Kakashi looked down at her and pressed his lips together, glad that his mask was there to hide his dismay from Aito. She was going to die. Kakashi couldn’t deny it to himself any longer. He knew what hanging on by a thread looked like. Her once-yellow skirt was soaked through with blood and her shirt was damp with sweat and sticking to her large stomach. He didn’t have to be a medic to know she’d lost too much blood, and wouldn’t have the strength for childbirth even if it wasn’t breached.

When he met Neji’s gaze, he saw the same knowledge reflected in his eyes. Aito was sobbing into his mother’s shoulder and she was petting his hair with one shaky hand. She met Kakashi’s eyes over his shoulder and didn’t flinch at the sight of his Sharingan.

“Thank you,” she whispered, “for saving my babies.”

Kakashi’s hands clenched at his sides. _But I couldn’t save you._ Sometimes it felt like he was just never enough, no matter how hard he tried. Why did this woman, this mother, who so obviously loved her children, have to die? Instead of screaming at the sky about the unfairness of it all, he just nodded at her, once, and pulled his hitai-ate back down.

The woman licked her lips and brought her attention to Neji. “You - you’re the one with some medical experience?”

Neji hesitated and Kakashi could tell that he was bracing himself to reveal that he couldn’t save her. She just smiled, a small, painful, thing, and said, “I was hoping you’d be able to assist with the -”

Her eyes darted to Aito and she cleared her throat. “She’s breached. Can you -?”

She cut off as another contraction rolled through her and Kakashi gritted his teeth as more blood spread under her. She was crying by the end of it and Aito’s hands were fluttering over her as he called for her.

When it ended, she collapsed back and gasped for breath. “You - you need to do it soon,” she said urgently.

“I’ve never performed this particular procedure. Most of what I know is for use in the field until a true medic arrives.” The stiff way Neji said it made Kakashi think he wasn’t as unaffected as he seemed.

“That’s okay, I can talk you through it.” Her voice was reedy and she turned to Aito.

“Aito, baby, I need you to listen to me.” Aito sniffled and brought his attention from the blood on the ground back to his mother.

Her smile was wide and sad. “Baby, I’m so sorry, but I - I think I’m going to have to go be with your dad now.”

Aito grabbed her hand and shook his head. “No! No, momma, don’t - don’t leave me alone. Please.”

“You won’t be alone, baby. You’ll have your sister. You’re going to be such a good brother, my brave boy.”

Aito sobbed and clutched at her. “B-but who will take care of us?”

The woman hesitated and her imploring gaze went to Kakashi. He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry about that, Aito. I’ll make sure you’ve got a home.” He met her eyes squarely. “They won’t be on their own.”

The fear that had been on her face faded and she blinked rapidly and nodded. “Okay. Thank you. We don’t have any family left, so.”

She was cut off by another contraction. Neji was already opening up the bag Kakashi had grabbed and was pulling out sharp-looking instruments. “We have to do this now, or the baby...” he drifted off and looked at Aito.

When the contraction ended, the woman looked like she wasn’t going to be able to stay awake much longer. She brought her two shaky hands up to frame Aito’s face. “I love you, Aito. Don’t ever forget that. I - I need you to go with Hatake-san, okay?”

“No!” Aito screamed. “No, mommy, I love you, don’t leave me!”

Kakashi moved forward and put gentle arms around him and started to pull him away, barely flinching at the way his kicking feet smacked against his thighs. The woman turned her attention to Kakashi. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Kakashi cradled Aito's head against his shoulder and the boy collapsed against him, sobbing. “You’re welcome.” He turned to go, then paused and looked back. “What’s your name?”

Her lips quirked up and her face relaxed from the mask of pain it’d been in since he met her. For a moment, she looked so much like Rin that he found it hard to breathe. That gentle expression...was the one she always wore when she was at her saddest. “Ana. My name is Ana. Take care of my boy, Hatake Kakashi.”

He just nodded, once, unable to manage any words past the lump in his throat, and then he turned and ran. He kept going until they came to a large tree, standing alone in the middle of the grassy field that extended over the ridge until it hit the sea. It was far enough away that Aito wouldn’t be able to hear Ana’s cries, though Kakashi would. If Neji ran into trouble, he’d need to know.

He sat down on the side of the tree opposite from where Neji was bringing new life into the world even as another was snuffed out. He could see the ocean spread out in front of him, the sun rising to the right and lighting everything in pinks and grays and blues. Aito was curled in his lap, sobbing and repeating the word ‘momma’ over and over again.

Kakashi just rubbed a soothing hand up and down his back but didn’t try to say anything. He knew better than most that words didn’t mean anything when your whole world had just been ripped from you.

Finally, his sobs subsided. “Why couldn’t you save her?” Aito’s voice was rough, but not accusing, and when he looked down the boy was staring up at him, looking more confused than angry.

“I’m sorry, kid. This...wasn’t something I could save her from. I wish I could.”

Aito thought about that, his little face drawn and pale. “Momma’s best friend died when she was having her baby last year. Momma felt really bad, but daddy said that sometimes death just came for people and that it wasn’t anybody’s fault.”

Kakashi hummed. He had a feeling Aito was asking if his mother’s death was _his_ fault. “That’s true. Death isn’t something that we can control, usually.”

Aito sniffled. “But - but she only got hurt ‘cause she pushed me out of the way when the house fell.”

He was staring down at his hands and a fresh flood of tears started falling. Kakashi’s chest tightened and he pulled Aito in for another hug. “She’s your mother, of course, she would protect you. That’s as much a part of nature as death. It’s not your fault, Aito. Sometimes bad things happen, and nobody is at fault.” Kakashi felt like a bit of a hypocrite saying that, since he had more trouble than anyone accepting that he wasn't responsible when the people he loved died, but he also knew that he wasn't really a great example of emotional health.

Aito looked up at him, then started sobbing again. “I don’t want momma to die. I want her back. I want her and daddy _back!”_

Kakashi just held him and let him cry, trying to ignore the sounds of what was happening in the field behind him. Finally, past the muffled screams and Neji’s soothing tones, he heard it. The wail of a baby, familiar from all of the times he and Ensui had watched Shikari.

“Your sister just came into the world,” he said and Aito stopped crying and looked up at him.

“Really? She - she’s here? How do you know?”

“I can hear her - it’s one of the things I can do as a ninja.” He cocked his head to the side, then smiled. “Your mother is saying hello to her. She - she’s telling her she’s beautiful and that...” Kakashi stopped and cleared his throat, and his covered eye grew wet. “That she’s the luckiest girl in the world, because she’s going to have the best big brother ever, and he’ll never leave her.”

Aito blinked rapidly, then nodded, slowly, once. “I won’t. I won’t ever leave her.” His face hardened with determination. “I’ll _never_ leave her.”

Kakashi listened as Ana spoke softly to Neji, barely able to make out her words. “...let her new parents name her. You’ll find them a home...?” her voice was weak and fading fast.

“We will. Don’t worry, Ana-san, when Hatake Kakashi makes a promise to protect somebody, he means it. Your children will be safe and happy.”

“Thank you. Thank you...”

Kakashi closed his eyes. Despite the horrible end to her life, her very last words were ones of gratitude. He took a deep breath. They wouldn’t be wasted on him. He’d find them a good home, and he’d find it in Konoha so he could keep an eye on them.

He ignored the small voice in his heart hinting at things he’d been trying to avoid thinking about for the past two years. Ever since he’d realized what Ensui was thinking the first time he'd held Shikari.

When Neji appeared with a small bundle in his arms that was announcing to all and sundry that she was alive, Kakashi was thankful for the diversion from his thoughts. He ignored the blood on Neji’s hands and robes and Aito scrambled out of his lap.

“Little sister, is she - ?”

Neji’s face softened and he knelt down next to them. “She’s fine. A little scared, perhaps. I think if her big brother held her, it might make her feel better.”

Aito nodded solemnly, which should have looked ridiculous with the mud, dirt, and tears smeared across his face, but he managed to make it work. Neji spent some time teaching him how to hold her after sitting him down against the trunk of the tree. She was wrapped in a gray cloth and Kakashi realized Neji’s apron was no longer on him. Neji stood once Aito was holding the baby securely and moved a few steps away, motioning for Kakashi to follow him.

“We need to get the infant to medics immediately. She needs to eat.”

Kakashi nodded and glanced over at Aito, who was looking down at his sister with a mixture of reverence and determination. “I know. The boy is traumatized, too. As soon as we get to Konoha I’ll ask Ino to spend some time with him.”

He looked over at Neji, who didn’t seem surprised that they were hauling the children back to Konoha with them. “Right. I suggest that we go to camp and check in, let the medics look them over and figure out food for the baby.”

Kakashi nodded. “Alright. I’m going to bury Ana, first. Will you watch them?”

Neji hesitated like maybe he wanted to insist they leave right away. Then he looked at Aito and nodded. He understood what it meant to lose your whole world at that age, too. The closure of a burial would help. “Alright, Kakashi-sensei. I’ll distract him. I think...this tree would be a good marker. And it looks over the ocean.”

“Okay. I hear a stream over there.” He pointed. “Maybe you can clean them up, feed Aito, then bring them back here to say goodbye. It shouldn’t take me long.”

In the end, it took less than an hour. Kakashi wished he had time to clean Ana up before burying her, but getting the children to safety was the priority. Instead, he arranged her in the grave he’d opened using a small jutsu with as much care as he could. “I’ll take care of them,” he said one more time.

He wasn’t sure what, exactly, made him feel such a connection to a woman he’d just met. Maybe it was her bravery in the face of death or the selfless way she’d looked after Aito despite her pain, right up until the end. Or it could be that moment he saw Rin superimposed over her face. Either way, it had been a long time since he’d been this affected by the death of a near-stranger.

Aito came back looking cleaner and more put together, face holding a sort of seriousness that shouldn’t be there on such a young kid. Kakashi knew from personal experience that it would always be there, now. Aito had lost a part of himself with his mother that he’d never get back.

Aito stared down at the grave, which Kakashi had added flowers to, then looked out at the water. “She liked the ocean,” he finally said and sniffled once.

The baby, who was asleep against his chest, made a small noise and Aito took a deep breath and squared his tiny shoulders. _Trying to be brave for his sister._ Kakashi cleared his throat but didn’t look away. “I’ll take care of my sister, momma. I love you.”

After that Neji made a sling to put the infant in that would keep her supported as they ran. They put it on Kakashi, though Aito tried to convince them to let him carry her.

“You’re going to be on Kakashi’s back,” Neji explained patiently. “It wouldn’t be a good place for her, smashed between you two. This way, you can be close to her and still see her, but we don’t have to worry about her getting hurt.”

To his credit, Aito didn’t argue once he realized it was safer for her there, in spite of the look of devastation that crossed his features when they took her from his arms and settled her in the sling on Kakashi. He reached out and ruffled Aito’s hair, giving his best eye-smile. “Don’t worry, Aito-kun, I’ll keep your sister safe.”

Aito looked a little less worried, though still not happy. He clambered onto Kakashi’s back and then they were off. The journey back to the Allied Forces camp was uneventful and awful.

The baby was uncomfortable and hungry and was starting to make her anger with the situation clear. Aito was becoming more and more stressed as his sister’s wails grew more pronounced and when they both finally passed out Neji and Kakashi exchanged a look of profound relief. They were still sleeping when they got to the camp.

Kakashi had spent the last hour obsessively making sure that the infant was still alive. She was small and her little forehead had frown lines even in sleep. He hated that her introduction to the world was such a traumatic one. It kept bringing back memories of the night Naruto was born. Back then he’d been a mess, unable to handle even the sight of his sensei’s child.

The shame of his failure to step up was something that never faded, but watching the way Aito had pushed back his own pain in order to take care of his sister brought it back in force. He couldn’t be older than six, yet he was handling a situation that was uncomfortably familiar to Kakashi’s with much more maturity and grace than Kakashi had.

Of course, he’d also been traumatized and extremely fucked up long before Minato died, but still. There was no denying that the kid was tough as nails, despite appearances otherwise.

Now that he was clean, he looked even more vulnerable than he had before. His strawberry blonde hair was falling around his face in wisps and his dark green eyes were wide and full of innocence. He was pale and dainty and altogether not somebody you’d expect to have such a strong inner core. It shouldn’t be surprising, really, considering his mother.

They dashed past the perimeter guards, who took one look at Kakashi’s cargo and waved them through. By the time they got to the medic’s tent, both children had been awoken by the bustle around them. The baby, of course, immediately began to cry. They entered the tent, which was clean and fairly quiet - the waves of injured and dying had slowed considerably the past two days or so. Now when they found survivors it was in twos or threes instead of by the dozens.

A woman with dark hair and thick glasses wearing a badge that identified her as one of the lead medics stood quickly at the sound of the baby’s wails. She crossed the space between them and took them all in with sharp eyes, magnified by the huge glasses.

“We’ve got two survivors,” Neji said. “One is an infant. She hasn’t fed since she was born, about eleven hours ago. The other is her brother. He’s -” Neji hesitated and Kakashi realized they’d never asked for Aito’s age. Of course, it was hard to talk over the screaming of a baby, so he figured they could be forgiven.

“How old are you, kid?” Kakashi asked in a rough voice as the medic gently took the baby from him with a frown.

“I’m five,” Aito said. Another medic, much older than the first, had joined them and was helping him off of Kakashi’s back.

“Five! Well, you’re quite grown up, then, aren’t you?” the elderly woman said.

Aito just shrugged and sidled over towards his sister, who was still crying, though it was a small, whimpering sort of attempt that had Kakashi’s chest tightening with fear. The medic was frowning down at her and she called out to a young man who was changing a bandage on another patient.

“Daiki-san! Go to the civilian tent. I believe there are a few women with infants there. See if you can find someone willing to be a wet nurse, or at least provide breast milk through a pump. Bring her back here immediately.”

The man nodded and took off out of the tent at a run. Aito was resisting the older woman’s attempts to lure him to an empty cot, instead crowding up against the medic as she set the infant down on a table and started unwrapping her. “Is she okay? Is she sick? What’s wrong?”

The woman smiled down at him. “Nothing’s wrong, except that she’s hungry. Don’t worry, we’re going to find somebody to share their milk with her, and she’ll be fine. What’s your name, sweetheart?”

She lifted the baby’s eyelids and then looked into her mouth. “Aito. My mom, she - she died. I promised that I’d - that I’d -”

The woman paused as his eyes filled with tears and she knelt down so that their faces were level, keeping one hand on the baby. “Aito-kun. You’re doing really well, okay? You got your sister all the way to us so that we could take care of her. You’re very brave. Your mother would be proud.”

Aito burst into tears and Kakashi’s eyes widened when he turned and wrapped his arms around Kakashi’s waist and buried his face into his flak jacket. Kakashi looked over at Neji, who just raised his eyebrow at him as though to say _what do you want me to do about it?_

The medic’s face was sad when she turned back to the baby, and honestly, they needed to find her some parents asap so that they could name her and he could stop thinking of her as 'the baby'in his mind. Kakashi reached down and lifted Aito up from under his armpits, ignoring his body’s protests. He hadn’t been this tired in a long time.

Aito wrapped his arms and legs around him and shoved his wet, snotty face into Kakashi’s neck, which at least had the protection of the mask. Kakashi wondered when he’d become somebody who comforted crying kids (okay, he knew that it started about the time he was assigned the most annoying genin team, ever) and moved to sit down on an empty cot.

“Can somebody bring us something warm for him to eat?” Kakashi asked.

“I’ll do it. I’ll bring you something, too, Kakashi-sensei,” Neji said.

Kakashi glanced down at Aito. Yeah, he wouldn’t be getting away anytime soon. “Yeah, that’s fine. Will you report into Ichika, too?”

A few minutes later the medic, who had finally introduced herself as Hina, declared that the baby was fine outside of needing to be fed. She’d barely spoken before the young medic she’d sent to the civilian’s tent appeared, a woman who looked to be about thirty right behind him.

Kakashi watched as she sat down and the two medics fussed with her and the baby, working together until she was latched onto her and drinking her fill of milk. Aito watched it all from where he was laying against Kakashi’s chest with wide eyes.

Kakashi fell into a light doze after that, only waking when somebody called his name from a few feet away. He looked over at Neji, who was holding a tray with what looked like two bowls of stew and bread on it.

The woman was gone and the baby was in a bassinet next to them. Aito stirred from where he’d fallen asleep against Kakashi and then sat up quickly, eyes wide and panicked. “Hey, it’s okay. Your sister’s over there,” Kakashi soothed, and Aito almost fell off the bed in his attempt to get to her.

Kakashi sat up and swung his feet over the side of the cot. He rubbed the back of his neck in an attempt to relieve the tension there, wishing he could get in more than a little doze. “Thanks.”

Neji nodded, then turned to watch as Aito ran a finger down his sister’s cheek, who was clean and dressed in a pair of fuzzy footie pajamas that they must have gotten off of one of the civilians in the refugee tent.

“This is a mess,” Neji said in a low tone that wouldn’t carry.

Kakashi nodded down at his stew, which he’d snatched from the tray. “I know. We should be able to find somebody in Konoha to provide milk until we find them a permanent home, though.”

He avoided Neji’s narrow-eyed look and was thankful when his only response was a non-committal hum. “Aito, come and eat,” Kakashi called in a soft voice. “Your sister needs to rest and recover her strength.”

Aito lingered for a moment over her crib, petting the bit of blonde hair on her head before he walked back over to the bed. Kakashi was a little surprised when he pressed right up against him before accepting his own bowl but didn’t say anything.

“Ichika-san said that we should both take half a day to recover. She also wanted me to let you know that she’s been making sure your ninken work in rotations so that they can rest, and that they’ve done well.”

“Ninken?”

Kakashi glanced at Aito. “I have a pack of summons - nin-dogs that help me out when I need them.”

Aito’s eyes widened. “Ninja dogs? Can I meet them?”

It was the first normal, non-traumatized thing he’d said since they met and Kakashi was nodding before he could think twice about it. “Sure, as soon as they’re done helping us look for people who need help.”

Aito looked down. “You mean, like we needed help?”

Kakashi cursed his inability to carry on a conversation without saying something stupid. “That’s right.”

“Oh.” He went back to eating, but seemed more thoughtful than upset.

Aito was yawning widely by the time he’d finished half his bowl, and Kakashi was about to suggest that he lay down and sleep when Hina and the woman who had fed the baby entered the tent. Hina smiled at Aito, who returned it a little nervously and grabbed Kakashi’s hand, leaning further into him.

“Aito-kun, I’d like you to meet Yui. She’s agreed to provide milk for your sister, and let you two stay with her and her children -”

“No!” Hina rocked back on her heels, shocked by his yell. In the crib, the baby started to fuss.

“Aito, I know this is hard, but you can’t stay in the med-tent -”

“I want to stay with Kakashi-san.” Aito turned big, teary eyes on him and he froze, shock robbing him of words. Aito wanted to stay with _him?_ The man who failed his mother and could never find the right words?

“You promised you’d take care of us,” he said, voice wobbling. Yui bustled over to the crib as the baby’s wails grew louder.

“Aito,” Hina said and reached for him. He jerked back and the bowl that had been in his free hand clattered to the ground, splattering stew all over Kakashi and Hina’s legs and the floor. He turned and crawled onto Kakashi’s lap and clung to his flak jacket.

“No, I don’t want to go to the stupid civilian tent! I want to stay with Kakashi.”

“Kakashi-san is a very busy man -”

“They can stay with me.” Kakashi cleared his throat, probably more surprised than Hina was by his declaration.

“Kakashi-san, an infant requires a certain level of care that, well...”

“Kakashi-sensei babysits his niece frequently,” Neji cut in and Kakashi sent him a grateful look. “She’s two, now, but he’s been watching her since she was an infant. He’s also an accomplished sensei and has been given some time to recover by the lieutenant, so he's free.”

Aito was calming down now that Kakashi had agreed to let them stay with him, but he was still clinging to his jacket like he expected someone to rip him away. Hina, to Kakashi’s surprise, looked relieved. “That’s probably for the best. They’ve both been through a lot, and staying with somebody familiar while they adjust would help, if you truly don’t mind.”

Kakashi pulled Aito closer to him and ignored the slight flutter of panic in his chest with the ease of long practice. “No. I don’t mind.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi comes to a decision and Ensui gets the thing he's been wanting for years. Also, some Nara family fluff, our favorite kind.

Kakashi was woken for a third time by the baby’s cry just before dawn. Aito shifted but didn’t complain when Kakashi disentangled himself from his octopus-like grip to stand and stumble his way over to the bassinet that Hina had delivered to his tent.

On the cot that he’d had brought in for Aito, Pakkun and Bull grumbled their displeasure and rolled over. Aito had crawled into Kakashi’s cot with him at some point after the first time he’d fallen asleep and he hadn’t had the heart to kick him out. Not after he’d spotted the tear tracks on his cheeks.

Kakashi opened the pack containing a few bottles of breast milk that Yui had provided. He put one into a ready pan of water and lit the kerosene below it. Yawning so wide that his jaw cracked and wondering what in the hell he’d been thinking, agreeing to babysit, he picked up the fussing baby.

She quieted almost immediately and he couldn’t help the way his heart clenched at the wide-eyed look she was sending him. “Hi, there,” he whispered, bouncing slightly as he started pacing the small walkway between the flap of the tent and the stove. “You’re looking much better.”

It was true. By the time they’d arrived at camp she’d been pale and weak, but now she was flushed with color and her little hands were waving around. Her eyes were a light blue-ish green that he assumed would one day darken into the same hazel-green as her brother and mother’s.

“We need to get you a name, don’t we, baby?” he crooned in the voice that he’d used to calm Shikari on more occasions than he could really count.

She made a small noise and blinked and he had to swallow past the pressure in his chest. “Don’t worry, I’m sure your new parents, whoever they end up being, will give you a nice, pretty name. One that’s strong, too, just like you’ll be. Just like your mother was.”

He adjusted his hold on her to check the temperature of the milk. He turned off the small camping stove and brought the nipple to her mouth. She latched onto it and sucked eagerly and he smiled down at her. “Ensui would think you’re pretty cute.”

“Who’s Ensui?” Kakashi glanced over at Aito, who was sitting up in bed and rubbing his eyes.

“He’s my partner.”

Aito frowned. “Like your ninja partner?”

Kakashi’s laugh was soft but genuine. “Sometimes. But, no, I meant my partner like your dad was your mom’s partner.”

Aito’s expression cleared. “Oh, you mean he’s your husband.”

“Ah...not quite. We aren’t married.”

Aito frowned. “Oh. But you love each other?”

Kakashi shifted. “We do.”

“Then why aren’t you married? Momma said two boys or two girls could get married if they want to, even if Raina-sama said that they shouldn’t. She said she was just an ignorant old -”

Kakashi cut him off before he could finish the string of insults since he didn’t want to have to scold him if some of them ended up being less than appropriate for his age level. “It’s not that we can’t, we just...haven’t gotten around to it.”

Aito stared at him. “That’s dumb.”

Kakashi laughed awkwardly. “Maybe. Here, hold your sister and I’ll go get you some breakfast.”

He helped Aito get her set up so that he could finish feeding her then rushed out of the tent, not bothering to put on his flak jacket. He waved to a few familiar faces but didn’t stop to talk, not wanting to leave the kids by themselves for too long. When he returned, the baby had finished her milk and Kakashi traded the plate stacked high with egg sandwiches for her. He put a towel over his shoulder, then laid her against him and started patting her back.

“You’re really good at that,” Aito said through a bite. “Neji-san said that you have a niece that’s a baby, too. What’s her name?”

Kakashi glanced over at him. “Her name is Shikari. She’s not really my niece. She’s actually the great niece of Ensui and the daughter of one of my students. We just call her my niece because it’s the least complicated option. And she’s two, now. She has the same birthday as your sister, actually,” he said in sudden realization.

Aito blinked. “Oh. You have students?”

“I do. Did.” He grimaced when the baby burped and he felt a warm, wet spot spread on his shoulder through the towel. “Shikari’s mother is one of them. Her name is Mayu.”

Somehow he ended up telling Aito stories about Team Seven while he changed the baby and they ate their breakfasts. Aito’s eyes were wide when he told him about Mayu’s puppets and her husband’s ability to manipulate shadows at will.

“I wish I was like Sakura-san,” Aito said in a small voice as they exited the tent to make their way to check in with Hina. She wanted to look over the baby at least once a day to make sure she was recovering from the ordeal of her first half a day of life.

“You mean, you wish you could heal people?”

“Yeah. If I could, maybe momma would be - she’d be -”

Kakashi stopped and squatted down, though it was a little awkward with the bag and infant he was carrying. He mentally flailed as he tried to figure out what to say. He wished Ensui were there - he was much better at things like this. Kakashi was the weird uncle who disappeared or handed out candy when tears appeared.

“Sakura had to work for years and years to be able to do what she can do. At your age, she wouldn’t have been able to heal anybody. What happened to your mother didn’t happen because of anything you did or didn’t do. You understand? It’s nobody’s fault.”

Aito looked down at the ground and nodded and Kakashi squeezed his shoulder. “Good.” He was sure that wouldn’t be the last time Aito tried to blame himself, but Kakashi would just have to keep reassuring him.

When they entered the tent Hina smiled at them from where she was stitching up a nasty gash on an older woman’s leg. “Hello, Kakashi-san, Aito-kun. I’ll be just a moment.”

Kakashi nodded amiably and herded Aito over towards an empty section of the tent. They were playing a game of tic-tac-toe when a familiar voice called his name. When he looked up Ichika was striding towards him.

“Lieutenant. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Hatake-san. These must be the children I’ve heard so much about.” She knelt down and held her hand out to Aito.

“Hello, I’m Lieutenant Ichika of the Allied Shinobi Forces. Neji-san told me about how brave you were during your travels.”

Aito reached out and took her hand, though he glanced up at Kakashi before he responded. “Hello. I’m Nakamura Aito. It’s nice to meet you, Ichika-sama.”

She smiled and stood. “And polite, too. This must be your sister.”

Aito nodded solemnly. “Yes. She doesn’t have a name yet, though, so I can’t introduce you.”

“That’s okay. Sometimes it takes a while. My parents didn’t name me until I was two weeks old.”

“Woah, really?”

“Really.”

They were interrupted from further conversation when Hina joined them. “Lieutenant, hello. Are you here for Kakashi-san?”

“I’m afraid so. We need him to help us track down some missing trappers.”

Aito latched onto his hand. “You’re leaving?”

Kakashi hesitated, then knelt down. “Sorry, kid, but I need to help find some lost people before they get hurt.”

“But where will we go?”

Kakashi glanced up at Hina, lost. She bit her lip. “Well, I could use some help in here today. Yui - that nice woman who helped your sister yesterday - said she was going to come in to help, too, since she’s a nurse. If you stay here, then she can feed your sister and help take care of her until Kakashi-san gets back. I mean, if you think you’ll be back by tonight.”

Kakashi hesitated and looked over at Ichika, who seemed more amused than annoyed. “It shouldn’t take more than a day. If it does, you can sleep in the civilian tent until he gets back.”

Aito bit his lip and Kakashi patted him on the shoulder, unsure how to offer him reassurance. “I’ll come find you when I get back.”

He must not have been as terrible at reassuring somebody as he thought, because Aito’s shoulders relaxed and his lips turned up into a hesitant smile. “Oh. Okay.”

Kakashi struggled to keep his balance when Aito hugged him as the baby squirmed in the cradle of his other arm. When he looked up at Ichika, he knew by her amused expression that the whole camp would know about his new role as babysitter by nightfall.

They found the trappers, though they were a little late getting back because one of them had broken his leg in a nasty fall. When he got to the med tent, Hina was gone but had left a message with one of the other medics giving directions on where he could find his _(not yours, Kakashi,_ he told himself firmly) kids.

They were in the civilian tent and Kakashi cringed when he entered. It was loud and crowded, though it was clean and he thought there might be a method to the madness. Multiple children and their harried parents were dashing across the tent and when he finally found Aito and the baby guilt settled into his stomach.

Aito was sitting on the floor, his back against the bed, holding his sister. She was fussing and refusing the bottle he was offering. Yui was trying to get two other children into their pajamas while she fed an infant - her own child - from her spot on the bed.

When she spotted Kakashi, she sent him a tired smile. “Kakashi-san, hello. I fed them, and put some bottles of milk into the bag. I’m sorry they’re not ready for bed. It’s just, my husband is helping with the relief efforts, and...” she trailed off as one of her children screeched when the other snatched his pajamas from him.

“It’s fine, Yui-san. Thank you for watching them.”

“You’re welcome. Your ninken found my husband, Kaito, you know. He was trapped in the mill you searched. If you need any help with your kids, please come to me. I’ll do what I can.”

Kakashi froze. _Your kids._ “Yeah.” He cleared his throat when the word came out rougher than he meant it too. “I will, thanks. Aito, let’s go.”

He stood carefully and Kakashi grabbed the bag of baby supplies. Aito leaned up against his side and didn’t say anything - it was a little too loud in the tent for easy conversation - but Kakashi could practically feel his relief.

“Sorry I was late,” he said as soon as they were back out on the muddy path.

Aito shrugged. “Hina said that you have to go so you can save other people. She promised you’d come back.”

Kakashi glanced down at where Aito was staring ahead of him, lips trembling. He really was a brave little thing. Kakashi clasped his shoulder and squeezed it once before dropping his hand to his side. He felt like it wasn’t enough, but he wasn’t sure what else to do. The way Aito’s steps lightened at the gesture, however, had him once again thinking that maybe he wasn’t as awful at this whole comfort thing as he thought.

The next two days fell into a pattern. Aito and the baby stayed with him at night. He woke up and fed her a few times a night with the milk Yui provided. Aito continued to crawl into his cot with him, clinging to his shirt and soaking it with tears before falling asleep.

During the day, though, Aito did his best to focus on his sister. Kakashi would drop them off with Hina so she could look over the baby and then hand them off to Yui to watch while Kakashi helped with cleanup and search and rescue. On the third day, he arrived at Yui’s family’s little carved out section of the tent and stopped short. Three women were standing around Aito and the baby, talking to each other in low tones.

“...she doesn’t even have a name yet, poor thing.”

“Apparently they’re waiting until they’re adopted...”

“Something should be done before we leave the day after tomorrow...”

Aito was hunched over, eyes darting between the women, for all the world looking like he was just waiting for his chance to snatch up his sister and escape. Kakashi swallowed at the reminder that the refugees were slated to start heading out towards villages in the Elemental Nations that had offered to take them in soon. He didn’t even know if Konoha was one of them.

“Aito,” he called and he looked at him with an expression of profound relief. “Come on, let’s get dinner.”

Yui appeared from between two beds, holding a basket of laundry and looking generally exhausted. She stopped and frowned at the three women who were giving Kakashi narrow-eyed looks. Her gaze found Kakashi’s and they shared a moment of understanding. They both knew that this wouldn’t be the last they heard from them.

Still, when Ichika showed up the next day with a stressed-looking man carrying a clipboard, Kakashi was caught off guard. “Hatake-san,” she said, then smiled down at Aito. “Aito-kun. Hello. I wanted to introduce you to Yuri-san. He’s in charge of coordinating the relocation of refugees. He’s here to give you some good news.”

Kakashi eyed the man. “Oh yeah, what’s that?”

He flashed a smile at Kakashi, either unaware of or unconcerned by the warning in his tone. “Ah, yes, Aito-kun, hello. It seems we’ve found a family that’s willing to foster you and your sister. They’re slated to travel to a small village inland called Halinta. If you’ll come with me -”

“No!” Aito yelled and backed up until Kakashi was between him and the man, whose mouth had clamped shut as he tried to come to terms with the idea that this wasn’t the good news he’d thought it was. “I want to stay with Kakashi.”

Kakashi stepped forward and held up a hand, curving his eye up into a friendly smile. “Yuri-san, there seems to be some sort of mistake. You see, I’ll be taking Aito and the baby back with me to Konoha to find them a family there. I promised their mother I’d look out for them and I can’t very well do that if they’re all the way in Tea and I’m in the Land of Fire.”

He slouched and tried to make himself look as harmless as possible. Ichika sent him an amused look.

Yuri shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kakashi-san, but they can’t go with you to Konoha. First of all, Konoha hasn’t agreed to take in any refugees. Secondly, I can’t send two citizens of the Land of Tea - underage citizens - to a foreign village with no long-term caretakers lined up.”

Kakashi had grown tense as he spoke and inwardly he was cursing himself for not thinking something like this might happen. Of course, they weren’t just going to send him on his way with two children and no guarantee of where they might end up.

Aito was staring up at him, face full of fear. “K-Kakashi?”

“Alright. Just, give me a few days. I’ll send one of my summons with a message to Itachi-sama. I’m sure he’ll be willing to make an exception -”

Yuri, who seemed to be annoyingly brave, was already shaking his head again, though his expression was full of pity. “I’m sorry, Kakashi-san, but I don’t have a few days. The family is leaving tomorrow. The mother has an infant and can provide milk for - I’m sorry, I don’t have a name for your sister, Aito-kun.”

Aito looked down at the baby in his arms. “Momma wanted our new family to name her.”

Kakashi stared down at his hunched shoulders and the way he was cradling his sister protectively against his chest. He seemed resigned but still determined. The baby’s arms were waving around and she was still looking up at Aito with wide guileless eyes. Kakashi felt like he was standing on a precipice, looking down, trying to decide whether he should step off. Could he really handle the consequences of what he was considering doing?

Aito took a deep, shaky breath and stepped forward, away from Kakashi and towards Yuri. Kakashi’s whole body jolted with the urge to grab hold of him and tug him back. Instead, he said the word that his brain had been circling the past two days every time he held the baby. “Shikana.”

“What?” Yuri said and Kakashi swallowed. He had known, somewhere, that this was going to happen. Had been preparing for something _like this_ since he saw the expression on Ensui’s face the first time he held Shikari in his arms.

The reality was much more terrifying and beautiful than he thought it would be. Hatake Kakashi was going to do something he never thought he would.

“Her name is Shikana. Shika, because she’s going to be the daughter of one of the members of the head family of the Nara clan. Ana, for her mother.”

Yuri was gaping at him but Ichika was smiling and Aito was staring up at him with a painful sort of hope that made Kakashi feel about ten feet tall. He cleared his throat. “If that name is alright with you, Aito.”

“It - it’s pretty,” he whispered and Kakashi smiled down at him - this time, a real one - on put his hand on his head. “Shikana it is.”

He turned back to Yuri and clapped his hands together. “Well, I suppose you probably have some paperwork for me to sign, then?”

Of course, it wasn’t that easy. Kakashi ended up having to send a message to Itachi after all, who graciously accepted the request to bring not just two refugee children home with him, but Yui’s family as well. She had agreed to continue being Shikana’s wet nurse. Kakashi already sent Pakkun to Akinobu to see if he could get Yui’s husband a job with one of the many lumber mills he worked with around Konoha.

Three days later he was signing the paperwork that made Aito and Shikana officially Hatake. He would have preferred to make them Nara, but it was easier to get them citizenship under his name. The switch to Nara would happen once Kakashi completed the second part of his plan.

Kakashi stared down at his signature on the bottom of the page. There was a prickling, unpleasant sort of warmth spreading from his chest outward and he had to fight the urge to leap from his chair and run out of the camp. He was a father.

Hatake Kakashi was a _father._ And he hadn’t even talked to Ensui about it. Not even in the ‘hey, someday do you think...’ sense.

What if he’d completely misread the other man’s longing looks every time they were within ten feet of a family with children? Kakashi was pretty sure you weren’t supposed to just show up and say ‘surprise, honey, I grabbed us some kids while I was out!’

He vaguely remembered a fight Sakura and Junto had about something similar last year. Except Junto had brought home three gigantic, rare beetles that he’d found out in the snow to live with them for the winter. In their tiny, one-bedroom apartment.

That actually made Kakashi feel a little better. Sakura and Junto were still married and it wasn’t like he was bringing _bugs_ home. Children were much less rage inducing. Right?

He pushed the paperwork back to Yuri, who was beaming at him, and resisted the urge to throw up. He cleared his throat and mumbled something in reply to his cheerful congratulations and stood. There was a small breeze coming in through tent flap, promising freedom and a moment to catch his breath. He kept his gait relaxed and confident, fairly certain that having a breakdown right after adopting Aito and Shikana would not be what anybody considered a good sign.

He paused outside and took a deep breath that he’d hoped would be calming but didn’t actually do much to stop the terror attempting to beat its way out of his chest. What if he was a horrible father? What if he failed?

“Kakashi!” He _oofed_ when Aito’s body connected with his legs and his arms wrapped around his waist.

He looked down at his new...son? Ward? Crap, maybe he should talk to Aito about what he wanted to be referred to as at some point. Or he could always have Ensui do it. Yes, that plan seemed sound. As long as Ensui was still willing to keep him around after his ‘Surprise! We’re parents!’ reveal.

“Did you do it?” Kakashi glanced over at Yui, who was holding Shikana in her arms and had her own infant strapped to her back. Her two older children (was it bad that Kakashi kept forgetting their names?) were fighting over a doll in the background.

She gave him a supportive smile that he supposed was meant to be encouraging and he looked back down at Aito’s hopeful expression. He ruffled his hair and eye-smiled. “Yep. You’re officially a Hatake.”

Aito frowned. “I don’t get to keep my name?”

“Uh. Well. No, kid. At least, not right now,” he hastened to add when Aito’s face crumpled. “I had to give you my last name for the paperwork to go through, but I’m sure we can change it back when we get to Konoha. If you want to.”

Fuck, why hadn’t he realized that the change of name would probably be an issue for Aito? He’d already lost his parents and here Kakashi was ripping yet another aspect of them from him. Oh god, he was going to be terrible at this parenthood thing.

Aito pulled him from his panicked thoughts with a small smile. “Maybe...I could have both names.”

Kakashi blinked down at him. “That’s not a bad idea, kid. We’ll look into it when we get back to Konoha, okay?”

Just like that, Aito looked less like his whole world was about to end. “Okay. Thanks, Kakashi.”

Crisis averted. “Uh, yeah. No problem.”

He was screwed.

000

Traveling with civilians was slow. Kakashi knew this, of course - he’d been on enough escort missions in his time. Still, the glacial pace they were forced to move at due to the wagon carrying all of Yui’s family’s things and the children they had in tow was painful. His nerves were at an all-time high by the time the gates of Konoha came into view.

By the end of the day, he would have to explain to Ensui that their family had expanded. He’d specifically requested that Itachi let him break the news, so most likely he didn’t know yet. Only most likely because Ensui had Itachi’s personal shadow organization reporting to him.

He adjusted Shikana in her sling and tried not to choke when Aito tightened his grip around his neck and started bouncing from his spot perched on Kakashi's back. “It’s so _big,”_ he said in an awe-struck tone.

“Welcome to Konoha.” Kakashi valiantly ignored the amused and disbelieving looks he was getting from the guards when they caught sight of his passengers.

Hatake Kakashi, S-ranked nin and child carrier. He sighed and turned his attention to answering Aito’s rapid-fire questions. It was nice to see him acting his age for once instead of a tiny, heartbroken adult.

Kakashi led his little troupe straight to the department of T&I that was responsible for clearing new citizens. Itachi had ensured him that they’d be put on priority status, so it only took an hour and a half to get their visas. Their next stop was the old Hatake Compound (now the Uzumaki Compound), where Yui’s family would be staying until they could find something of their own.

He’d already corresponded with Torii about letting a family of refugees he’d taken an interest in stay in one of the outbuildings. Torii’s reply had amounted to  _Yes, Kakashi-sama, you can let anybody you want stay in the compound you gifted to us._ He could practically hear the eye roll in it. Freaking Nara attitude.

“Thank you so much, Kakashi-san,” Yui said and pulled him in for a hug. He smiled - a real one, he’d become fond of the easily flustered woman - and shook her husband, Kaito’s, hand.

“You’re welcome. Nara Akinobu said he’d be by in a few days to introduce you to your new boss. The Uzumakis should have set you up with enough supplies to last you until tomorrow at least. I’ll swing by early and show you around and pick up more milk for Shikana.”

He waved off their effusive thanks. If it weren’t for Yui, Shikana wouldn’t even be there. It was the least he could do.

Aito was yawning in his ear and Shikana was starting to fuss in his arms. He needed supplies for them - a bassinet and clothes that weren’t hand-me-downs, to start with - but they were all too tired for that. He’d just make do that night and in the morning he would kill two birds with one stone and bring Yui shopping with him.

“Woah,” Aito said when they crossed into the Nara compound. “The trees are so big!”

Kakashi nodded at the guards, then launched into the story of how Hashirama had created and then gifted the forest to the Nara clan. He could tell by the way Aito kept yawning and slurring his words that he was on the verge of sleep, but he stayed awake until they got to the house.

“This is where you live?” Aito’s voice was low and hushed.

“No. This is where _we_ live. The house over there is where Mayu, Shikamaru, and Shikari live. Doesn’t look like they’re home right now, though.” The windows were dark and he didn’t hear anybody moving around. It wasn’t surprising since it was still early afternoon.

Aito was silent as they climbed up the porch, but his arms tightened around Kakashi’s neck. “What if nobody likes me?”

His voice was high and worried and Kakashi gently lowered him off his back. He pulled a fussy Shikana from her sling and held her against his shoulder before turning to kneel in front of Aito. He had a little strip of dirt on his nose and Kakashi’s stomach clenched at how cute that was.

“Why wouldn’t they like you? You’re brave and smart and the best big brother I’ve ever seen.”

Aito shrugged. “I don’t know. If they don’t will...will I have to leave?”

Kakashi ignored the rising levels of Shikana’s cries and hugged him. “Of course not. You, me, Ensui and Shikana are a team, now. You never leave your team behind.”

“Yeah, but...what if Ensui doesn’t want us on his team?”

Kakashi sighed and leaned back on his heels while he rubbed a hand down Shikana’s back. She just screamed louder and he winced. Right, only a bottle and probably a diaper change followed by a nap would fix this.

“Don’t worry about that. He and I are already a team, which means he’ll accept you, too.”

Aito sent him a doubtful look but didn’t protest when Kakashi led him further into the house towards the kitchen. It was a sad day when a five-year-old had a better grasp of the dos and donts in a relationship than he did. He pulled the bag holding Shikana’s supplies off his shoulder and handed her to Aito while he dug around for a bottle.

Aito looked around in interest despite the way he was swaying on his feet while Kakashi pulled out a pan and filled it with water. He set it over the stove, then took Shikana back. “Come on. I’ll show you the bathroom and you can get clean while I feed your sister. Then you can help me bathe her.”

Aito nodded shyly and took his hand. Kakashi turned on the light in the bathroom and set about turning on the shower and adjusting the water temperature with one hand. “Will you grab a towel from under the sink, Aito-kun?”

He heard him rummaging around the cupboard, and once the temperature seemed right Kakashi tugged the showerhead down so that Aito could reach it. “Just this for now, okay? You’re too tired for the bath. I’ll find you something to wear since all your things are dirty.”

Aito swallowed, obviously nervous about being left on his own, but nodded, and Kakashi hesitated before leaving the room. He knew the kid had to be anxious (Kakashi was feeling a good amount of anxiety, himself), but wasn’t sure that anything but time would alleviate that.

He settled for ruffling his hair before heading back to the kitchen to check the milk. Shikana had been crying the whole time, which really said something about how used to wailing baby Aito and Kakashi had become. He hoped that she’d be a little easier to placate now that they weren’t on the road.

He sighed in relief when he discovered the milk was ready. Shikana quieted almost immediately when the nipple passed her lips. Well, there was one problem down. Next, something for Aito to wear.

In the end, he settled for an old shirt of Mayu’s that he found in the guest room. Aito would still be swimming in it but it would work for a sleep shirt. Kakashi could wash the few items of clothing they’d been able to scrounge up for him later. Shikana was still slurping away happily, her eyes focused on his face while she drank.

Kakashi walked into the bathroom and set the shirt on the counter. Aito was splashing happily in the shower, covered in suds and laughing to himself, so Kakashi left him to it. Any bit of happiness in the kid needed to be encouraged.

He was grimacing through another crying fit while he washed Shikana in the sink when Aito appeared, clean, and as expected, engulfed in the shirt. He glanced over and smiled, receiving a shy grin in response.

“Almost done here, then we can scrounge up something to eat and you can get some sleep.” Aito tugged a chair over to stand on and attempted to distract Shikana from her ire while Kakashi rinsed off the gentle soap that he used to clean his ninken from her squirming body.

Yeah, he’d keep that little bit of trivia to himself. But it was hypoallergenic and didn’t contain anything that could be potentially harmful, so he figured it should be fine. After he was done they dried her off and slathered lotion on her body - Aito starting from the feet and Kakashi from the hands - then put her in a diaper.

“I don’t have any more clean clothes for her, either,” Kakashi said in a tired tone. “But I have this blanket.” It was small and extremely soft. He’d bought a bunch of them for his ninken, so it had little dog bones on it.

Once again, something he’d keep to himself. Aito wrapped her up and pulled her against his chest. Kakashi listened as Aito told her a story about three trolls and a young ninja who was trying to get across their bridge. He assumed he’d originally heard it from Ana.

He ended up making them sandwiches since it was fast and they were both too tired to wait for something to cook. As it was, Aito only made it through half of his before he laid his head on the table. “Come on, kid, there’s a bed with your name on it.”

Aito took his hand and shuffled after him, climbing the stairs without looking up. Kakashi led him into the guest bedroom across the hall from the master bed and helped him into the bed. “My room is right across the hall if you need me. I’ll be downstairs if I’m not in there.”

Aito bit his lip and Kakashi pulled the covers tighter around him. “It’s okay if you need to come sleep with me. Ensui won’t mind.”

He just sniffled and after a moment of hesitation Kakashi leaned down and kissed his forehead through his mask. “Stop worrying so much, kid. It’s going to be okay.”

“Will - will you and Shikana stay here until I fall asleep?”

“Of course,” Kakashi said, though what he really wanted was a shower. He was too dirty to climb further onto the bed so he just sat there, rocking Shikana, until both of the children fell asleep.

He let out a breath of air and glanced out the window. It was nearing evening. Ensui would probably be home soon. Kakashi stood and tiptoed out of the room. After a moment of hesitation, he turned off the light but kept the door cracked open. If he kept the hall light on that should be enough if Aito woke up after dark.

Then he made his way into his bedroom, Shikana a warm weight in his arms. He stopped to just breathe in the familiar smells. His chest ached and he wished Ensui was home already. Usually, he’d go seek him out right when he got back, maybe even try to convince him to have a quickie in his office.

He sighed and spent some time building a makeshift bassinet in the middle of the bed with pillows. Then he carefully set Shikana into it. He ran a finger down her soft cheek before heading for the bathroom, secure in the knowledge that she wouldn’t roll off the bed.

He still rushed through the shower, anxious about leaving her without eyes for even a few minutes. Between him, Aito, and Yui’s family, she was never left on her own. When he hurried out of the bathroom, steam billowing out behind him, she was still asleep and he let out a breath of relief.

He got dressed and after a few moments of agonizing, left her where she was so he could run downstairs to clean up. He kept his hearing dialed up, but all he heard was the soft, even breathing of both children. Still, he rushed through cleaning up the mess they’d made in the kitchen and getting the laundry started so that the kids would have actual things to wear the next day.

He was back in his room ten minutes later. Shikana hadn’t moved and he spent some time staring at her before he gingerly laid on the bed and took out one of his Icha Icha books.

He hadn’t been able to read one for weeks since he was always around a curious kid in his off time. It didn’t take long before he was absorbed in the story, only breaking to move the laundry over. It was probably an hour later when he heard Ensui approaching the house.

“Oh god,” Kakashi muttered but didn’t move from his spot on the bed. It was a challenge to keep his posture relaxed, but he mostly managed it, even when Ensui’s steps sounded on the stairs.

When he appeared in the doorway Kakashi actually forgot why he was anxious for a moment. He’d only gotten hotter as he got older, in Kakashi’s not-at-all-biased opinion. His shoulders were still broad and his hips were still too sexy for words. The bits of grey at his temples just added to the scary-hot vibe he had going.

Their eyes met and a moment later Kakashi’s mask was down and he was being pressed down into the covers by the weight of another body. He returned the kiss eagerly, running a hand up Ensui’s spine and letting everything else fade into the background.

“I missed you, sweetheart,” Ensui rumbled before moving his lips down to his jaw. “Why didn’t you come see me right when you got in?”

“I - _ah -_ uh, actually, we should probably talk about that -” he made an embarrassing sound when Ensui ground his hips down against him.

“Hmm, we can talk later.”

“Actually, we should really -”

Ensui froze when a whimper sounded from the pillow fort in the middle of the bed. He pulled back and looked down at Kakashi when it happened again. “Baby, we’ve talked about letting your puppies sleep in the bed.”

Kakashi wasn’t listening, though, heart clenching at the continued whimpers coming from Shikana. Ensui’s brow furrowed when Kakashi pushed at his chest until he sat back on his heels.

“What -” a wail cut through what he was going to say and Ensui’s eyes widened and his head whipped to the side at the very-obviously-not-a-dog sound.

Kakashi scrambled over to his pillow bassinet and picked up Shikana, who was looking sad and pitiful and altogether adorable. “You’re okay,” he said, picking her up with one hand behind her head. “Did the scary shinobi wake you up?”

He laid her against him and said soothing, nonsense words until she was calm again, avoiding looking at Ensui. Finally, when she was in the crook of his arm and waving a fist around, he stopped avoiding the inevitable.

Ensui was staring at him with an odd expression and Kakashi cleared his throat. “Uh. Surprise?”

His brows climbed up his forehead and Kakashi kind of wanted to kiss him again. “Surprise, you’ve agreed to babysit?”

“More like, surprise, I left on a mission and came back with a little something extra.”

Ensui’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. Are you saying you brought a kid back? Like, to keep?”

Kakashi cleared his throat and plastered on his most charming smile. “Technically, I brought back two, the other one is sleeping across the hall.”

It wasn’t very often Ensui was shocked into silence and when he was it was almost always Mayu who had made it happen. Kakashi decided to enjoy it. He hummed down at Shikana and couldn’t help his smile when she yawned.

“Are they - I mean. Are we really keeping them?” Ensui’s face and tone were blank, now that he’d recovered, and Kakashi shifted.

“I adopted them. Officially. So, yeah. Currently, they’re Hatake, but once we’re married - oh! That reminds me.”

Ensui made spluttering noises as Kakashi fumbled to grab something he’d placed under his pillow earlier and tugged it out. “I’ve had this for a year but I've been too chicken shit to give it to you.”

Ensui caught the velvet box without looking at it, still too busy gaping at Kakashi and Shikana. After a moment he shook his head and looked down at the box. Kakashi was worried he’d broken him when he opened it and saw two platinum bands nestled inside.

“The boy, Aito, is five,” Kakashi said, desperate to fill the tense silence. “His mother died giving birth to her,” he nodded towards Shikana, who was drooling on herself. Charming. “I named her Shikana. So, we kind of have to make her a Nara now. Otherwise, I’m pretty sure we’d be breaking all kinds of unspoken laws -”

Ensui shut him up by slamming their lips together. It hurt, a little, but Kakashi wasn’t complaining when the alternative was being chucked out and crawling back to Torii and Naruto’s house with his tail between his legs. When Ensui pulled back, he was staring at Kakashi with that soft, fond expression that he only wore when he’d done something particularly charming or particularly stupid.

He cupped his cheeks in his hands and ran his thumbs across them. “Of course we’re getting married. And though you probably should have asked, I’m not mad about you bringing home a coupla kids without asking.”

Ensui looked down at Shikana, who was staring up at them. “Shikana, huh? Can I...” he trailed off and rubbed the back of his neck.

Kakashi silently offered her to Ensui. He took her carefully into the crook of his arm, then reached up to pull the blankets back so he could see her better. Kakashi watched his face closely and felt some of the tension leave him at the soft way he was looking down at Shikana. One large finger smoothed over the tufts of blonde hair on her head.

“Tell me,” he finally said, voice gruff.

Kakashi licked his lips and then told him everything, starting from Ichika sending he and Neji out to check on the missing family. When he got to the part where Ana was saying goodbye to Aito he had to pause. Ensui used his free arm to pull him against his shoulder until he’d pulled himself together.

When he described the way Aito had refused to leave Kakashi’s side in the med tent he chuckled. “You’re like kid-nip. I think it’s the hair. It’s very appealing.”

Kakashi glared at him and resisted the urge to pat at his hair. It wasn’t his fault it was determined to grow in a very particular way. By the time he’d finished, Shikana was fussing and Ensui was already thoroughly attached to her.

They went downstairs to get her a bottle and Kakashi’s whole body tingled with goosebumps as he watched Ensui stare down at her like he couldn’t believe she was real. At one point he looked up and their eyes met and he flashed Kakashi the same devastating smile that had convinced him to give their relationship a real chance in the first place.

“So. Can I expect this to be a thing? Are you going to just keep showing up at the door with orphans?”

Before Kakashi could answer Aito bolted through the kitchen and collided with Kakashi’s legs. He flailed in surprise but managed not to drop the warm bottle in his hands. “Aito-kun, did you have a nightmare?”

Aito wasn’t paying attention to him, though. He was staring at Ensui, narrow-eyed. “Don’t be mad at Kakashi-san. He was only trying to help!”

Ensui’s brows rose and Shikana started protesting the lack of bottle in earnest. Kakashi sighed when Aito’s arms remained locked around his legs and tossed the bottle to Ensui. He caught it, though his attention was on Aito who, in Kakashi’s humble opinion, looked adorable.

His hair was sticking straight up on one side where he’d fallen asleep on it and there were pillow-marks on his cheek. His eyes were bright green at the moment, as they tended to be whenever he was upset, and his cheeks were red. He looked ready to throw down with Ensui to protect Kakashi’s honor.

Ensui gave Shikana the bottle before hunching down so he could look Aito in the eye. “You must be Aito. I’m Ensui. Welcome to the family.”

Aito swallowed and pressed closer to Kakashi, who sighed and put a hand on his head. He glanced up and did a double-take, lips parting in surprise. “You - your mask! It’s gone!”

Kakashi smiled and Aito blinked rapidly, probably at the sight of his slightly-sharper-than average canines. “I don’t wear it when it’s just me and Ensui in our house.”

Aito continued to stare. “You’re pretty,” he finally declared and Kakashi made a wounded noise while Ensui laughed, low and rich and deep. Yeah, Kakashi really hoped the kids would give them even a small window of opportunity for some alone time.

Aito ducked his head and tried to surreptitiously study Ensui from where he was shoving his face against Kakashi’s leg. Ensui looked properly charmed by the cuteness that was their new kid.

“Kakashi told me a bit about you. I gotta say, you’re very brave.”

Aito turned a bit more of his face towards Ensui. “Kakashi said you’re really brave, too. And that -”

Aito looked up at Kakashi, who smiled in what he hoped was an encouraging way. It seemed to work because he squared his shoulders under the large purple t-shirt he was wearing and turned to fully face Ensui.

“He said that we’re a team now. All of us.”

Yep, Ensui was a goner. He nodded. “That’s right. We are.”

Aito smiled at him and Ensui returned it. Kakashi was still terrified of what it meant to fling the shutters of his heart open so wide, but at that moment warmth replaced the fear. He wasn’t even that upset when Aito climbed into bed between them that evening with his sister. He and Ensui would have time to catch up later.

000

It turned out ‘time to catch up later’ was a hasty exchange of blow jobs in the shower that morning, almost cut short by the wail of a baby. Luckily Ensui was a genius and managed to get Kakashi off just as the whimpers turned to full-blown cries.

The rest of the morning was a whirlwind of reporting in to Itachi and shopping with Yui’s family while Ensui took on the task of letting his family know they were now plus two members and announcing their upcoming wedding. It was going to be more of a glorified elopement that Shikaku, Yoshino, Mayu, Shikamaru, and the rest of Team Seven were invited to witness. Aito stayed with Kakashi while Ensui brought Shikana along with him, probably as a way to distract Yoshino from going wedding-crazy.

Not that either of them believed Yoshino would actually let them have their way, but a man could dream. If they insisted it happened within the next forty-eight hours so that Shikana and Aito could become Nara for real (along with Kakashi, who intended to follow Aito’s example and hyphenate), then there was only so much torturing she could fit in.

As always, Kakashi underestimated Ensui’s crazy family. He’d ended up living thirty feet from Mayu because Ensui was a closet pushover, so why he was surprised when Yoshino practically buried him in samples for Shikana’s nursery was beyond him.

Aito stood half behind him, wide-eyed and dressed in the new shorts and t-shirt they’d picked out for him that day, along with multiple other items of clothing. “I mean, I know Mayu said no to pink when we were doing Shikari’s nursery, but you don’t mind a bit of it, do you, Kakashi?”

She finally stopped to breathe and Kakashi realized he was supposed to say something. “Uh. Have you met Aito?”

He shoved Aito forward, deciding the least the kid could do was take this one bullet for him. Yoshino’s whole countenance softened and she bent down and held out her hand. “Hi, Aito. I’m Yoshino, Kakashi and Ensui’s sister. How are you?”

Aito shyly shook her hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Yoshino-san.”

Her smile grew. “Well, aren’t you polite. Ensui introduced me to your sister earlier - she looks a lot like you. And aren’t you just adorable, with that strawberry-blonde hair and those big eyes? Come on, I made some cookies -”

Kakashi stood in the doorway holding four different colors of fabric in limp fingers, watching as Aito and Yoshino walked down the hallway hand-in-hand, already thick as thieves. “I hate my in-laws,” he grumbled, glad that the mask was covering the way his lips had curled up into a smile that belied his words.

Shikaku showed up with Shikari an hour later, Ensui on his heels with Shikana in his arms. She was wearing a brand-new pink onesie with tiny sheep on it. He must have discovered the bag of purchases Kakashi had left on the bed for him.

“Kashi!” Shikari squealed and Kakashi took her out of Shikaku’s arms after nodding a greeting at him and tossed her in the air. “Ri-chan! Look how big you are!”

“I’m two!” she announced and Kakashi chuckled and pulled her against him for a hug.

“I know. Happy late birthday. Did you like the present we got you?”

“Ruffy,” she said, which he assumed was what she named the large stuffed dog they’d given her. They’d also gotten her a few picture books and a soft blanket (and if it had come from the same place he’d gotten the dog blankets, well, they really were very soft).

“Ah, a strong name. Come on, I want you to meet someone.”

Shikari's eyes narrowed in a familiar Nara expression and he grinned. She didn’t talk much yet, but Kakashi was pretty sure she understood more than most kids her age. Well, it’d be strange if she _wasn’t_ ahead of her peers, considering who her parents were.

“Come on, come meet your new cousins.” Aito was staring at Shikari when they made their way over to the blankets that Yoshino must have laid out in the yard. Kakashi sat next to Ensui so he could lean over and kiss Shikana’s cheek.

Aito went up on his knees and shuffled closer. “You’re very cute, Shikari-chan. I’m Aito. I hope we can friends.” His tone was solemn and she tilted her head to the side and studied him.

After a bit of squirming, Kakashi got the hint and put her down. She toddled over to Aiko and leaned right into his face. He didn’t flinch back and after a moment she smiled. Since Shikari was objectively adorable, he smiled back.

“Nap,” Shikari said imperiously and Aito looked baffled when she plopped down on her butt and tugged on his arm. He glanced at Kakashi, who shrugged and tried to hide his amusement. One of Shikari’s favorite things was to find a napping partner, and she knew there was a better chance of getting a newbie to do it.

Not that she had to work very hard to convince Shikaku or Shikamaru. Yoshino was still baffled that even a female-born Nara seemed to like sleep an unfortunate amount. Shikari finally succeeded in getting Aito to lay down. After adjusting the position of his limbs to her exacting standards, she snuggled up next to him and closed her eyes while Aito blinked up at the sky.

She was asleep in seconds. Shikaku chuckled next to him. “Now you’ve done it, Aito-kun. She’ll be trying to get you to nap whenever she sees you.”

Aito attempted to lift his head without jostling Shikari to look at Shikaku. He waved. “I’m Shikaku, Ensui’s brother. It’s nice to meet you.”

Aito’s eyes were wide when he realized he was staring at the head of the Nara clan. Kakashi had spent a lot of time telling him stories about his soon-to-be family while they traveled, so he knew who he was. “It’s nice to meet you, Shikaku-sama.”

Shikaku nodded, then sent Shikari a longing look, probably wishing it was him that she’d forced into a nap. Yoshino rolled her eyes at him and Kakashi twitched when she tugged what Mayu had dubbed the Scrapbook of Death in front of her.

“Okay. Let’s talk decorating.”

Kakashi did not whimper.

000

Aito _loved_ Mayu. It was awful. Kakashi twitched as the _giant spider_ she was letting him ride leapt over Shikamaru and Shikari, who were sprawled out in the middle of the lawn somehow napping through all the delighted screaming, Shikari curled up against her father’s side.

The only thing keeping Kakashi from snatching him from the top of the armored, weaponized insect was that Aito hadn’t smiled this much since Kakashi had met him.

“Faster, Mayu-nee!”

Mayu laughed and with a twitch of her fingers the puppet skittered up the siding of the house, Aito staying in his seat only with the application of Mayu’s chakra. And, okay, Kakashi knew that Mayu’s chakra control and skills in puppetry were superb, but if she dropped his kid...

“Mayu, enough,” Ensui snapped.

She rolled her eyes. “Ugh, fine. You’ve barely been a father for a day and you’re already a bummer.”

“Mayu, if you ever do that with our daughter, I’ll smash whatever experiments you’re working on,” Shikamaru said calmly from where he was laying with his eyes still closed. “Now stop giving Kakashi and Ensui heart attacks.”

Mayu muttered something about how dull everybody was but looked properly concerned by Shikamaru’s threats. Aito complained when Kakashi snatched him from Bukimi as soon as he was back on the lawn, and then exchanged eye rolls with Mayu.

What. The. Hell. Mayu had known him for about two hours and was already a bad influence. He had the strange experience of feeling actual sympathy for Uchiha Fugaku. Last Kakashi had heard Chiasa was using the puppets Mayu had helped her build to scare the daylights out of unsuspecting Uchiha and Academy teachers. He’d thought it was funny before, but now it was like one of those cautionary tales.

He looked at Ensui, who gave a small nod. Yep, they were on the same wavelength. When they needed a babysitter, they wouldn’t ask Mayu. Unaware of their exchange, she wandered over and collapsed onto Shikamaru’s chest. He made an _oofing_ sound and flailed for a second before wrapping his arm around her and kissing her on the top of her head.

Ensui ambled over and put his arm around Kakashi, who was still holding Aito against his chest. Yoshino was feeding Shikana while Shikaku laid with his head in her lap. The afternoon sun was warm and the day was clear and beautiful.

“This is nice,” Aito said in a quiet voice and both Ensui and Kakashi looked over at him. He was biting his lip, brow furrowed in what Kakashi recognized as his ‘thinking pose.’ Adorable. “Do you think mom and dad can see?”

Kakashi looked over at Ensui and he tipped his head. Right, Kakashi could take that one. “I’m sure they can.”

“And do you think they’re glad? That we found you?”

Ensui brought a hand up to rest on his head and Aito moved his gaze to him. “I know they are. Your mom wanted you to find a family that would love you, right? Well, that’s what we’ll be.”

“No, mom, _nap!”_ Shikari shrieked and all three of them looked over just in time to see Mayu startle and fall off of Shikamaru, whom she’d apparently lured into a kiss instead of letting him sleep.

Any response Aito might have made was lost in the laughter ringing out across the yard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wah, that was so fun to write! Thanks to everybody who read this fluffy little side-story. :)


End file.
